Black Mirror
by baldragnarok16
Summary: After passing the Tokubetsu Exams, all Anko wanted to do was celebrate. But it turns out that fate has other plans for her. Plans involving one nameless orphan that will end up changing both of their lives forever.
1. Black Mirror

Well, it's almost been a full year since my journey as a fanfiction writer began. And so, after a lot of failures and a few successes, I present my newest story; Black Mirror. There is no pairing as of yet but there may be one later on. If you have a specific pairing (involving Naruto) you like, tell me in one way or another.

This is an AU, and certain events and dates may be different than the canon. I'll try to keep the characters close to their canon description though, so don't expect any major character changes.

I hope you enjoy it!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

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'_italics single quote'- thoughts_

"normal quote" -speech

_**/bold italic/- supplement**__

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_

**Chapter 1: Black Mirror

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**

_**In her hands she held a mirror.**_

_**But when she looked into its depths,**_

_**all she saw was a never-ending darkness.

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**_

Anko strutted through the streets of Konoha and cockily grinned at the people she passed, who either disdainfully glared at her or just ignored her completely. Today was a proud day indeed, for on this day, October 10th, she was promoted to tokubetsu jōnin; the youngest on the force.

She had to admit, though, that she hadn't expected to pass the exams on the first try. She had heard horror stories about the tokubetsu exams; stories that were worse than the ones for the actual jōnin exams. But she had passed all three parts of the examination, the only one of her fellow examinees who was able to do so.

_'I told you that allowing me to stay would be beneficial,' _Anko thought to herself as heavy raindrops bombarded her body. _'I've always been faithful to this village, no matter what they may think,' _she stated.

Ever since her former sensei, Orochimaru, defected from Konohagakure she had lost all of her comrades' trust and loyalty. Even her own younger brother, the only family she had, began to act wary around her, avoiding eye contact with her and skirting any type of concentration. And as if she weren't distressed enough at that point, the Council of Elders were considering keeping her under house arrest for the rest of her life, lest she turn traitor as her sensei had. However, the Hokage steadfastly disallowed the Council from doing so.

But even though it seemed as if everyone despised her for the horrific deeds Orochimaru had done, she kept hope. At the age of thirteen, she truly learned what isolation was like; and conquered it with a smile. She worked harder than any other genin her age to gain the respect of her elders and was subservient to any and all of her elders.

If they told her to bathe in ice water so that she would become stronger, she would do it with a grin. Because nothing would keep her from her dream; to become an elite ninja, like both of her parents were before they were tortured to death by ninja from Iwagakure during the Third Great Shinobi War.

Eventually word began to spread of the willingness of Mitarashi Anko to do anything that her elders told her to. And so more and more people began giving her increasingly dangerous and trivial tasks; ranging from housecleaning to resolving personal vendetta.

But, like with all gossip in the profitable ninja village, word of the subservient girl reached the ears of Sarutobi, the Sandaime Hokage. And, to grossly understate, he was furious that a girl so young could be manipulated by the very people that had vowed to protect their village and everyone within it.

And so he did what he always did in these types of situations; he decided that he would meet Mitarashi Anko not as a superior, but as a consultant.

And after searching for her for hours, he finally found her. She was naked and soaking wet, standing in front of a hidden waterfall.

"Anko?" the old man asked as he stood behind the teenager as she watched the sun begin to disappear over the horizon, painting the sky in a rainbow of color. And as she turned to face him, Sarutobi couldn't let go of just how young Anko really was.

"Hokage-sama?" she asked, seemingly unaware of her nudity. "Can I do something for you?" she asked while grinning widely.

"What's your favorite food Anko?" Sarutobi asked as he tried to keep his eyes focused on Anko's face; it would do him no good if the girl thought he was a lecherous pedophile.

"Dango!" she answered cheerfully. "Why do you want to know?" she asked while she walked alongside the older man.

"How would you like to go eat some?" Sarutobi proposed. Within seconds the still wet girl was clinging to his robes tightly. "But Anko, there's something you must do first," the Hokage solemnly said. Immediately Anko released the elderly man and looked at him attentively.

"If you were to instruct me to, I'd give my life to you this very second," she responded just as solemnly.

"Don't talk such nonsense," chided Sarutobi gently. "Your life is your own and should be sacrificed only by your own will; never on the orders of another."

"Of course, Hokage-sama. I apologize for proposing such a foolish offer," she apologized as she gazed at the ground, refusing to look back at Sarutobi.

"It is alright; just keep that knowledge for future reference. Now as for my one condition; get dressed. It wouldn't do either of us any good if you were to walk through the village streets naked," he instructed as he smiled.

"Of course, Hokage-sama."

Several minutes later the two were eating dango and talking about frivolous things like the weather and how Anko was faring in her new squad, while they walked throughout the village. Everyone who saw the two were effectively baffled by the Hokage's kindness and acceptance of the girl; after all, she was the protégé of **the **Orochimaru.

"Thank you very much for the honor of eating with you Hokage-sama," Anko thanked sincerely with a genuine smile as they reached the Hokage tower.

"Before I leave, Anko, I have a question for you to solve," he announced as he drew something from his robes and held it in front of the girl. "What do you see?"

Anko gazed at the majesty of the object the older man held in his hands.

"It's a mirror," she answered hesitantly, anxious at disappointing Sarutobi with the wrong answer.

"Yes, but what do you see in the mirror?" the old man asked. Anko knitted her brows in thought as she looked at the mirror's sleek surface.

"I see the dark," Anko answered after gazing intently at the polished black glass that failed to show Anko her reflection. Sarutobi only smiled gently at the young girl as she looked at him with begging eyes.

"I want you to keep this Anko; and in return you'll tell me if what you see in it ever changes," stated the Hokage as he offered it to Anko.

"Th-thank you Hokage-sama," Anko replied breathlessly. "I'll treasure it always." The Hokage then began to walk into the tower, but suddenly stopped.

"Oh, and Anko?" the Hokage said.

"Yes?"

"I want you to stop obeying those ridiculous orders that the others give you; the only ones you should follow without question is yourself. And I hope that the next time we meet you will have grown into a ninja I can be proud to call by name," Sarutobi ordered as he entered Anko, leaving her alone in the streets of Konoha.

And for the first time since her parents died, she wept; all of her emotions that she had bottled up inside her for the past few years had finally reached breaking point. And on that day she swore to herself that the Hokage would not regret his actions.

And throughout years passed she had kept that promise well; elevating to the rank of chūnin at the age of fourteen despite threats to her health and bribes to drop out of the exams and completely changing herself. No more was the subservient, quirky, ever-smiling girl in the modest clothing; and, more likely than not, this was the reason she had been able to gain the trust of her teammates.

Even though her spontaneous, boisterous, and cocky attitude annoyed the hell out of them sometimes, anyone who had ever gone on a mission with her would instantly vouch for her ability; her unpredictable and spur-of-the-moment fighting style baffled even her own teammates. In addition, she would be able to accurately assess the weaknesses of her opponent and then discover how to exploit them within seconds; making her virtually invaluable on high ranked missions.

By the time that she had been nominated for the Tokubetsu Exams, she already had more A-ranked missions under her belt than any other chūnin at the time. And throughout the six years she spent completely ameliorating her lifestyle, she had not once visited the Sandaime Hokage since that day they ate together; excluding mission assignments that is.

She had been waiting for the single moment in her life when she could approach him and ask him; "Do I make you proud?"

And now, as a full-fledged Tokubetsu, she intended to do so.

_'But I still haven't solved the riddle of the black mirror,' _Anko thought as she approached the tidy flat that she lived in. _'And that seriously pisses me off.' _But as she reached to open the door to her house, she found that the doorknob was covered in grime and mud and the door was slightly open.

Immediately Anko switched from a relaxed and self-satisfied mood to a tense one.

"Kuchiyose no jutsu," she muttered as she preformed the seals and blood ritual for the deed. When she was finished, several medium length blue snakes and one small black one were on her doorstep, waiting for her command.

"Search for any sign of intrusion and if you come across whoever the bastard is, immobilize him and signal me," she ordered. Immediately the snakes slithered through the sliver made by the open door and disappeared into the darkness.

Anko waited outside the door, waiting for the signal from the scout she had sent, a kunai drawn and held at the ready. She breathed lightly and stood sedentary, not willing to make any kind of mistake that could make her location known so early. And then, two minutes later, it came; the black snake dispersed into a cloud of smoke, signaling that the intruder had been located.

The second she felt it she silently pushed open the door and ran into the house just as silently, not allowing a single noise to escape. And as she ran into the house, she collided with something, or someone; which fell to the floor after its collision with a grunt.

Not risking any chances, Anko placed the prone person into a submission hold, one hand twisted behind the back with the other pinned to the ground by her knee, and held a kunai to where she believed the invader's neck was.

"Who sent you here?" Anko demanded as she put more pressure on the arm. _'Something doesn't feel right; his arm, it doesn't feel like a ninja's. It's scrawny and weak,' _she thought. However, the intruder did not make a single sound, even under the intense pain Anko was putting him through.

"I asked you a question!" she barked as she withdrew the kunai from his neck and felt around for his hair, which, to her luck, was long, and pulled hard on it, bringing his head several inches off the ground.

"N-no one sent me! I-I was just trying to hide!" the invader practically yelled. Anko immediately released her submission hold on the person but immediately grasped his arm in a death-grip and pulled him to his feet. And once he did, she promptly dragged him towards the wall, near a light switch.

But when she turned on the lights, she could not have been more surprised at who the intruder was. He looked to be no older than five, his skin and clothes was soaking wet and mud caked while his untamed, filthy, blond hair hung limply over his face, which was barely visible through the old and dirty bandages that covered both of his cheeks. But the most disturbing thing about him was that he had no substance; his arms and legs were short and knobby while his shirt hung loosely over his body, despite the fact that it was soaked.

"What the hell were you thinking?" Anko yelled at the boy. "You're what, four, five, and you decide to just barge into my house like it was your own?" And as Anko moved her other hand closer to the boy, his entire body recoiled in anticipation as he squeezed his eyes closed. Anko slowly put her hand back to her side as the boy squinted his eyes to see what she would do. She then sighed in exasperation as she also released the boy's arm, causing to visibly relax

"What's your name, brat?" Anko demanded as she rubbed her temples. _'Tonight was supposed to be the night to celebrate and drink, not interrogate some mangy little brat.' _

"I don't have one," he answered abashedly. Anko took a deep breath as she processed the information.

_'He must be an orphan, either that or a neglected child. Whatever the case is, though, his caretaker must beat him often for him to react so violently. Also, he looks severely malnourished. Whoever looks after this kid has been doing a pretty shitty job; it's a miracle this kid has enough energy and will to even talk and walk._

"Then what do other people call you?" Anko interrogated in a calm voice. It would do her no good if she only alienated him to the point of mentally shutting down.

"A bunch of things," the boy answered factually. "Brat, bastard child, wimp, little shit, loser…" the boy listed. However Anko raising a hand, which made him flinch and stop talking, stopped him.

_'Effective, despite being cruel,' _she thought as she looked over the boy. "So what I call you?"

"Uhm…I don't know," the boy answered as he re-opened to the woman. "I guess you can call me whatever you want to call me." Anko sighed once again in frustration. Obviously questioning him in his current condition wouldn't give her anything. And so she decided to change the current situation.

"You ever have ramen before Kid?" Anko asked the boy, who merely looked at her oddly.

"Is ramen like a dog or a cat? 'Cause I'm not allowed to have a pet," he asked skeptically.

_'What the hell is this kid; how has he never heard of ramen before?' _she thought. "It's food; you know, the stuff you put in your mouth when you're hungry?" she sarcastically answered. However she immediately regretted her harsh words as the boy hung his head in embarrassment. _'Crap; I didn't mean to make him feel bad. But, I mean, who hasn't heard of ramen before?'_

"How about I make you some ramen to eat and then you tell me why you thought it would be smart to break into my house; that sound good to you?" Anko asked.

"That sound good to me," the boy agreed with a large grin.

* * *

Ten minutes later Anko sat at her kitchen table, drumming her fingers against the table as she listened to the young boy speak as he vigorously dug into another bowl of instant ramen. Initially she thought that she'd have to prod him to answer her questions, but it turned out that once he began eating the instant dish he began endlessly talking about how good ramen tasted. 

It was only after his third bowl that he began talking about himself. And Anko, to say the least, was sickened by the stories the young boy told; stories about how he'd be locked out of the orphanage at night and be forced to sleep outside with nothing but the clothes on his back and how the matron would beat him for doing something as simple as talking or of "causing mischief."

_'The fact that they would isolate and manipulate a thirteen year old is one thing; but abusing an innocent boy? What the hell has the world come to?' _Anko asked herself as her level of anger began to rise. And the only way she could vent was by drumming her fingers, which didn't help that much anyway.

And then, after polishing off his seventh bowl he began recalling that day's events. Apparently some of the older children thought it would be fun to play a game of "cat and mouse." But instead of being a harmless child's game it was something much more brutal. The game consisted of a group of seven or eight children, the "cats," hunting down the mice and then "kill" them by tagging them.

But these children played it a different way; instead of there being an equal number of people on each team there were six or seven more cats than mice; the only mouse being the boy. And when they would catch him, they would proceed to physically and emotionally injure him until he cried for mercy.

Like most times, however, the kid had been able to outrun them, however. But what amazed Anko was that he had run and hid for the past twelve hours, not letting his guard down for a single second. And so when it began to rain, he knew that he would eventually slip in the muddy streets or fall in a puddle; he'd surely get caught. And so he found the nearest house and hid in it; which just happened to be Anko's.

By the time the orphan finished his tale, and his ramen, Anko was only barely able to keep her emotions in check. And so they sat in silence for several minutes as the boy digested the gargantuan amount of ramen and Anko tried to calm herself.

"What were those red and white swirly things in the ramen?" the boy asked curiously as his legs dangled under the table.

"Oh; those were naruto," Anko answered factually. "They give it flavor." He then startled the woman immensely by jumping on to his feet.

"That's it then!" he announced. He then pointed his finger, which had been purged somewhat by the layers of mud that had previously caked it but was now dripping with ramen broth. "You can call me Naruto!"

"Naruto?" Anko asked skeptically.

"Yeah!" the boy answered excitedly. "Since I don't have a name; I might as well give myself one. And what's a better name than an awesome tasty food?" he asked. This outrageous outburst finally caused Anko to lose any control over her emotions.

Naruto looked at her strangely as her face turned red and she gripped the table firmly. "What are you doing?" he asked.

"I-I'm laughing," Anko stated between laughing fits. She never would've thought that she would end up losing control of her emotion through a fit of laughter, but it happened. "I'm sorry," she apologized through her laughing. "I've had a really long day. But Naruto's a good name; really, it is."

"Oh," Naruto answered plainly. "I guess I should go back, right?" he asked as he got up from the table. Anko was finally able to gather her emotions under control once again as she looked out the small window above her kitchenette at the deluge outside.

"No; you can stay here for the night," Anko answered. "You can borrow some of my brother's old clothes while those are being washed and I have a spare futon you can use."

"Really?" Naruto asked, excitement emanating from every part of his body.

"Really," Anko answered as Naruto literally jumped for joy. "And tomorrow I'm going to teach you some moves to defend yourself in case you're caught," she added. Instantly she found herself in a tight grip by the younger boy.

"Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you!" Naruto practically screamed as he gripped the legs of the older woman. Anko couldn't help but smile at the young boy.

_'I hope that I don't get too attached to him though. It'll just be that much harder when I have to report for my team assignments in two days,' _Anko thought as she gazed at the boy in front of her. "Oh, I never told you my name, have I?" she asked. Naruto energetically shook his head in the negative.

"Well, the name's Mitarashi Anko," she stated proudly. "And don't forget it."

"Don't worry Anko-chan," Naruto answered with a stupid grin. "I won't."

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I must say, I did not expect on finishing this chapter at 4 A.M. or making it this long. Whether you liked it or not, please review! They're greatly appreciated! 

Preview of Chapter 2:

_**In his heart is the blessing of a blazing fire.**_

_**And with a determined grin, he sets off**_

_**to make his precious person proud. **_


	2. I'm Done

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. I do however own the three line preludes at the beginning of each chapter.

And just a note; the grammar in Naruto's dialogue is purposely incorrect.

Thank you lepus iratus for betaing this chapter!

**Chapter 2: 'I'm Done'

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**

_**In his heart is the blessing of a blazing fire.**_

_**And with a determined grin, he sets off**_

_**to make his precious person proud.

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**_

By the time the sun rose, Anko was already eating her breakfast at the table, a few slices of toast and some fresh fruit. She was showered, fully clothed, and ready to beat senseless anyone that stood in her way of enjoying her day of rest; the only one that she'd have for a long while. Well, ready to beat anyone other than the blond boy sleeping in her spare futon that is.

And as she finished her bland meal and cleaned up, Naruto ran into the room, almost tripping over his own feet as he was bent over almost double, grabbing his pants. Once she saw him, Anko began to let off a stream of curses as she ran over to him and pushed him towards where her bathroom was.

'_There's no way in hell that I'm gonna let him piss all over my floor,' _she thought as she threw open the door to the bathroom and shoved Naruto in, closing the door behind him. She waited outside the room until Naruto re-opened the door slightly, so Anko could only see his head, and then gave her the "I'm an innocent child" look.

"Anko-chan…" he began timidly. Anko immediately balled her hands into fists and ground her teeth as she braced herself for the worst of news.

"Yes Naruto?" she answered, lengthening every syllable.

"I'm sorry but…," he sincerely apologized as he drew his eyes away from Anko's and to the floor.

'_Oh God; here it comes,' _she thought miserably as all of the thoughts for his apology came into her mind.

"I can't reach that thing that cleans me up; can you help? I hope you're not mad," he finished in a near whisper as he stepped out from the small bathroom. As Anko looked Naruto's appearance over she saw that there was no urine dripping from his body or the white jinbei she loaned him; however she did see many small grimy handprints on the nightwear. She then let out a large sigh of relief.

"Don't scare me like that; I thought that you wet yourself or something," she scolded as she walked in to the bathroom with the young boy and lifted him up so that he could reach the sink.

"Now go get changed; I left a pair of training clothes for you on a chair in the kitchen," Anko instructed as she unceremoniously dropped the boy on to the ground and turned off the clothes.

"**More** clothes?" Naruto asked in awe. "How much do you **have**?"

"A million," sarcastically answered Anko instinctively. Naruto, however, did not catch the sarcasm and inhaled deeply, his eyes wide in amazement.

"Really; you have that much clothes?" he questioned, awestruck by her statement. Anko had to refrain from rubbing her temples in irritation.

'_I gotta remember that; the kid's not that bright,' _she thought to herself. "No, Naruto," Anko responded with a sigh. Naruto merely looked back at her, puzzled by her contradicting statement. "I was just…joking; I have about ten," she added, making sure she used simple words that he could understand..

"That's still a lot," Naruto remarked cheerfully. "I'll be back in a minute Anko-chan!" he exclaimed, almost sang, as he ran towards the kitchen; where the other set of clothes lay.

Anko, meanwhile, let her head fall against the wall with a muffled thud. _'Thank God I'll never have kids,' _she thought with a smile. _'Especially one as pitiful or helpless as him.'_ As much as she hated to admit it, though, she couldn't say that she disliked the orphan. Because beneath the layers of dirt, grime, and sweat she could see something else, hidden by his naivety and happy-go-lucky attitude; hope and strength.

She saw the strength that grew every time he got back on to his feet from a nasty fall and the hope that drove him on every day. And she couldn't help but respect him for doing what he did. After all, isn't that what she had done after the village turned its back on her?

"Anko-chan!" Naruto cheerfully yelled as he reappeared in the second pair of clothes Anko lent him, a big grin on his face. "You said you'd teach me stuff!" Anko then lifted her head from the wall to gaze at the animated boy.

"Yeah, I guess I did," Anko affirmed. "Follow me," she instructed as she walked towards the back of the house, Naruto tailing her. "Don't do anything that I don't instruct you to," Anko dictated emotionlessly. "Who knows what might happen to little boys who don't listen?" Naruto just looked at her fearfully as she grinned at him. "Understand?"

"Y-yeah," Naruto answered shakily as he continued to follow the woman, slightly less eager than he was merely a few minutes ago. And as Anko led him outside, Naruto could not help but marvel at all of the equipment strewn about the small field. And as they reached the center of the field, the only spot where there was no large vegetation or equipment; only tall grass that bent to the wind.

"Alright Naruto, how much do you know about hand to hand combat?" Anko asked monotonously, not expecting anything much from the boy and not truly interested in whatever nonsense answer he gave.

"You mean like fighting?" Naruto asked. Anko only nodded her head in response. "I know lots of stuff!" he vigorously proclaimed with a grin.

"Show me," Anko demanded, lazily gazing at the young boy. _'He's probably just gonna run right up to me and flail his arms at me,' _she thought as he watched him set himself for an attack. But then, he just began running away from Anko, leaving her very confused. _'What the hell is he doing?' _

But then, after running about three meters, he suddenly stopped running and stood still, facing the opposite direction of Anko. And then, suddenly, he turned around and charged her, running faster than Anko even thought was possible for someone of his age. But, as she had first suspected, Naruto possessed absolutely no form whatsoever.

'_Let's see how long he can keep this up,' _Anko thought as she deflected attack after attack, never once wavering against the boy's onslaught. And once again, Naruto exceeded all of her expectations; five minutes after charging her he was still attacking with the some amount of force and speed. If anything, he seemed to become more powerful by the second.

Anko then decided that it was time to put an end to Naruto's attack, and instead of deflecting Naruto's next punch, she grabbed his wrist, side stepped, and pulled him forward, causing him to lose his balance.

"Lesson one," began Anko as she looked down at her temporary pupil, who panted lightly, "Never attack when victory is impossible; it'll tire you down and give the enemy an opening to take advantage of," she explained as she put out her hand to help Naruto get to his feet.

"Lesson two; never flinch. If you flinch, you're dead; simple as that," she instructed as she pulled Naruto to his feet.

"But did I do good?" Naruto asked, bubbling with excitement.

"You did fine; for a snot-nosed little kid that is," she stated with a smirk. Naruto only glared at her indignantly.

"I am not a little kid!" he yelled angrily as he jumped up and down like a little child. Anko only gave him a blank look.

"Well let's see; you look like a little kid, talk like a little kid, and act like a little kid. To me, that means you're a little kid," Anko rebutted calmly as she gazed at the impassioned sapphire eyes of the young boy.

"I'm not **little**," Naruto whined. "I'm seven, and Ojii-san told me that it means I'm a big boy and I get to go be a ninja," he pouted. As he said this, Anko lightly bit her lip and appeared to go into a thoughtful trance. After several seconds of this, Naruto grew anxious. "Anko-chan!" he whined, "Aren't you gonna teach me how to be strong like a ninja?"

"Not if you whine like a spoiled brat," Anko retorted as she left her trance-like state. "Spoiled brat ninja are the first to die, so act like the 'big boy' you claim to be," chided Anko angrily. This caused Naruto to shut his mouth, and Anko relished every second of the short silence.

'_I never thought that someone in his state could be so damn talkative,' _she thought as Naruto and her locked gazes. "Alright," she began, causing Naruto to give her his undivided attention. "Third lesson of fighting; improvise. Build off of your surroundings so you keep your enemy on their toes. For example; if there's a tree, break off a branch use it; if there's a hornet's nest, throw it at the enemy or use it in a kawarimi."

"What's a kawarimi?" Naruto asked curiously, intently gazing at Anko.

"You'll learn when you go to Academy," Anko dismissed with a wave of her hand. "Other than that, do you understand what I'm talking about?" Anko asked. Naruto answered with a vigorous head nod.

"Alright then, lesson four is form; without it you waste precious energy and weaken all of your attacks. Form can be built through several different ways; the most popular is through the use of kata," Anko taught.

"What are kata; are they fun?" Naruto naïvely asked.

"Oh they're more **fun** than anything you've ever done," Anko answered with a wicked grin. "There are one hundred and eight kata known around the world; along with each country, village, and ninja developing their own. Each kata comprises of a different amount of movements; usually 27, 36, or 54."

"There are five main categories of kata used throughout the world: katon, suiton, fuuton, raiton, and doton, and within those five categories are subcategories. And each of these categories and sub-categories have their own Understand?" explained Anko. Naruto merely looked at her with wide eyes and slowly shook his head. Anko sighed deeply and decided to take a different approach.

"Simply put; by memorizing and practicing kata you become stronger. Also, different kata makes you stronger in different ways. Can you understand that?" Anko asked. This time, Naruto nodded his head sharply, grinning. "Good; just remember that they're only used to improve your style; you shouldn't use the actual sequences themselves in real combat."

"Sure, whatever; are you gonna teach me how to do the kata now?" Naruto asked eagerly.

"Don't ignore what I say," Anko retorted. "And I'm only teaching you some simple ones, and you have to memorize them all by the end of the day because you won't be seeing me anymore."

"Wh-why?" Naruto asked, his cerulean eyes wide in shock. "Are you going to leave forever and never come back?" he asked, tears beginning to well up in his eyes.

"No you idiot," snapped Anko angrily. "I'm a ninja; I'm either putting my ass on the line or I'm sleeping. And anyway, why would I leave you forever if I'm using the only leisure day I've had since I can remember to teach **you** how to defend yourself? I thought that you had at least half a brain!"

After yelling at the boy, Anko couldn't help but feel ashamed. After all, he didn't know her history with abandonment nor did he know how much she hated people who abandoned people who loved them.

_'He has a right to be so worried,' _thought Anko as she sadly gazed at the young boy. _'After all, he probably thinks his parents just up and left him to fend for himself. I'd be afraid of losing anyone else if I were him too.' _

"I'm sorry Anko-chan; I didn't mean to make you mad," Naruto apologized quietly. "But I'll make sure that you won't regret teaching me!" he stated loudly with a confident grin and an ardent look in his eyes. And as Anko locked gazes with Naruto, she couldn't help but smile at the boy's unwavering optimism.

_'I seriously doubt you could, even if you tried,' _Anko thought.

* * *

For the rest of the day, Anko drilled Naruto endlessly through six different kata, correcting each stance so that it was perfect and explaining to him the purpose of each one. By the time Anko was satisfied with the boy's knowledge and execution, the shirt Anko had lent Naruto was drenched in sweat and stuck to the young boy's petite frame. 

"How did I do Anko-chan?" Naruto asked, his brow glistening with seat.

"You did alright," Anko replied with an indifferent shrug. "Now before the day ends, there are a few more things I need to teach you; the most important lessons."

"What are they?" Naruto asked eagerly, bouncing on the balls of his feet in excitement.

_'What the hell is this kid?' _Anko wondered. _'Even after six hours of nonstop training he's still going.' _"First off, don't allow yourself to be consumed by your emotions. If you don't control your emotions you **will** lose. And when you become a ninja, losing is unacceptable. However, don't become indifferent either; being emotionless can be just as dangerous as being too emotional."

"How?" Naruto interrupted.

"Well, a lot of people believe that if you suppress your emotions entirely, you'll either become completely indifferent to killing or the suppressed emotions will eventually cause the person to mentally snap. And both conditions aren't entirely irreversible, so if it happens, you're screwed for good," Anko answered.

"Oh; that sounds really bad," Naruto stated as he nodded his head, as if to agree with himself. "Not good at all."

"Secondly, listen to your instinct. If something tells you that something doesn't feel right, listen to it, even if you think otherwise; the mind can be manipulated, your instinct can't."

"Like how?" Naruto asked.

"Genjutsu," Anko answered shortly. "It's an illusion."

"Oh," Naruto answered as he finally stopped bouncing, the day's training finally taking effect on him.

"And finally," Anko began, "is one of the most satisfying parts of a being a ninja."

"What?" Naruto asked impatiently. "What is it? Tell me!" he demanded. And, like before, Anko answered swiftly. Except this time, Naruto lay on the ground and scowled at the woman who had pushed him over.

"Only snot-nosed little brats would get so excited over a little cliffhanger like that," announced Anko with a smirk. "I'm only joking Naruto," Anko sighed as the boy gave her a death glare.

"Well it wasn't funny," he pouted as he got onto his feet and wiped his hands on the shorts he had borrowed.

"As I was saying," Anko continued, "the most satisfying lesson of being a ninja is saying 'I'm done.'"

"**That** is what's so important?" Naruto scoffed. "How can two little words make a cool badass ninja so happy?" he asked.

"It's rude to curse in front of your sensei," Anko answered as she added yet another bruise to Naruto's head, drawing a slight flinch from the boy. "But to answer your question, being able to say 'I'm done' means that you know your limits; when you've trained enough, when to keep your mouth shut, which you obviously don't know what to do (at this point Naruto opened his mouth to protest, but quickly shut it in self-realization), when to stop a spar from spiraling out of control, and so much more."

"But right now 'I'm done' means it's time to have a nice hot bath," Anko explained with a wistful sigh.

"So it's time for me to go?" Naruto asked sadly as he gazed at the ground.

"Do you know how to prepare a bath?" Anko asked.

"Yeah; the older girls make us younger kids do it for them," Naruto answered, confused at the seemingly irrelevant question.

"Good, then you can go prepare one," Anko answered as she began to walk back towards her house.

"For you?" Naruto asked, not following the purple-haired woman.

"I don't need a kid to prepare my baths for me," Anko called over her shoulder.

"Then for who?" Naruto called back to her, still unmoving.

"You, of course," Anko responded as she opened the door to her house. "Now are you coming or not?" Naruto, seemingly reinvigorated, ran towards Anko and threw himself at her, clutching to her back as a small child would, shouting indecipherable words at an impossible rate.

Anko merely sighed as she entered her house, the blond boy still on her back. _'What have I done?'_

---

"Do you need help putting the bandages on your face?" Anko called into the bathroom as she leaned against the wall near the door, waiting for Naruto to finish dressing.

"Nope," Naruto answered jovially as he opened the door, once again clad in an overly large t-shirt and a pair of shorts.

"You know, now that you're not caked with dirt, I can tell that you're human," Anko remarked as she ruffled Naruto's blond locks, which was no longer caked in grime.

"Very funny," Naruto answered with a childish pout. He then began to walk towards the front door, realizing that it was time for him to go.

"Going home now?" Anko asked as she followed him, a small smile on her face.

"Yeah, after all, those big kids won't beat themselves up," Naruto answered confidently as they neared the door.

"Good luck in the academy Naruto," Anko stated as he began to walk out. "I'm sure that one day you'll be a decent ninja."

"I'm gonna be Hokage," he stated with the utmost confidence and a large grin. "And I'll show everyone that I'm strong, like ojii-san or you," he added as his expression seemed to harden.

"Then I wish you luck with that," Anko added with a small smile. Naruto then lunged at her again, trapping her in a tight hug, which completely took her off-guard.

"I love you Anko-chan."

And then he was gone, running back to the orphanage grounds. And all Anko could do was watch him, her mind and voice completely gone, the young blonde's words repeating over and over again in her head.

_'I love you…'

* * *

_

I thank all of you who reviewed last chapter and I apologize for the lateness of this one! I meant to have it out by Monday but I got the flu.

Preview:

_**At the crossroads of life they met. **_

_**And as they gazed upon each other, **_

_**their grins lit up the night sky.**_


	3. Save Him

I apologize for the preview for the previous chapter because the chapter I originally planned to write was much more different than what I actually ended up writing. And so that I don't mislead you again, previews will only appear when I'm absolutely sure of what the next chapter will comprise of. Thank you for all of your patience and support!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. The chapter preludes do however belong to me.

**Chapter 3: Save Him**

------

_**At the crossroads of life they met a second time.**_

_**And as they gazed upon each other,**_

_**their grins lit up the air around them.**_

-----

Mitarashi Anko was definitely not a morning person. And so when she was awoken at 4:30 in the morning by a loud knock at her door, she wasn't exactly in the best of moods. Groggily, she got up from the warm embrace of her bed, threw on a night robe, and trudged towards her front door as her early morning visitor knocked even louder.

"What the hell do you want?" demanded Anko as she threw open the door and glared daggers at the ninja who stood on her doorstep.

"You are Mitarashi Anko, right?" the young man stuttered as he faintly blushed and averted his gaze from the scantily clad woman, clothed only in the loose, simple, cotton robe and a pair of undergarments.

"I'll say it again; what the hell do you want?" Anko demanded as she clenched her hands into fists. "And you better have a damn good reason for waking me up an entire hour before I need to be up," she snapped as the twinges of a smile formed on her lips. On anyone else, the smile might have looked completely harmless. But on Anko, it looked downright sadistic.

The man gulped as he thought of what the woman might have in store for anyone who pissed her off. After all, Morino Ibiki didn't choose to mentor her for nothing.

"Hokage-sama requests your presence as soon as possible," quickly stammered the young man, who was scared out of his wits. He expected Anko to reply with some witty retort or cleverly disguised threat of torture, but instead the door was slammed in the ninja's face as Anko retreated back into her house.

'_I hope that means she's going to come,' _the young man thought as he leaned against the door. Several minutes later the door flew open with tremendous force as Anko burst from the small complex, moving hastily towards the Hokage Tower.

The messenger, who had been tossed aside by the door, took a deep breath and slowly closed the door, which had been left wide open.

"I really hate my job sometimes," he muttered as he formed a single handsign and disappeared in a puff of smoke.

---

Anko knocked slowly on the door leading to the Hokage's office as she straightened her clothing. After all, she would never risk looking unkempt when dealing with the man she respected the most.

"Enter," Sarutobi responded form behind the door. Anko quickly opened the door and strode into the room confidently, exchanging looks with the elderly man that sat behind a large, elegantly carved redwood desk that dated back to the time of the Shodaime Hokage.

"I came as fast as I could, Hokage-sama," Anko stated formally. She then noticed several rather large folders and multiple notebooks sitting upon the old man's desk.

"Good morning, Anko," Sarutobi greeted warmly as he folded his hands on an empty part of the large desk. "I appreciate your haste, but please, don't intimidate the messengers I send to you; it's a very hard task finding chūnin willing to do such menial tasks." At this, Anko grinned sheepishly and folded her hands behind her head.

"Now on to business," Sarutobi stated, his voice taking on a more serious note. "This," he said as he motioned towards the stack of folders and books on his desk, "is your next mission." Anko blinked as she heard this. She was positive that there was a more urgent reason to get her so early in the morning for an evaluation mission.

'_After all, why else would he have so many documented on his desk?' _she asked herself. "So, who's the unlucky guy that you need evaluated?" Anko casually asked as she approached the Hokage's desk to gather the records.

The evaluation process was a rather brutal one for several reasons. To start with, the only people that were requested to be evaluated were those who were either mentally challenged or traumatized in some way. Then, whoever was chosen to be the evaluator, a tokubetsu that specialized in examinations, had to read through every file ever documented on the person in question.

And as they read, the evaluator was required comment on how each action they did, each word they spoke, each friend they made, and even what food they ate reflected their mentality and their state of mental health. And finally, the evaluators had to submit a final assessment on their mental status. And more often than not, the person being evaluated would be diagnosed as "mentally incapable of fulfilling the duties of a ninja" and were forced into early requirement. To put it simply; next to death, being evaluated was a ninja's worst nightmare.

"That's classified information," the Hokage replied, which caused Anko's expression to harden. One of the only reasons an examinee's identity would be considered confidential would be if revealing it could result in rather large political complications. "In addition, you only have three days to file your diagnosis on the person in question."

"What?" Anko responded in shock. Examiners were **never **given a concrete time limit on evaluating; it was just unheard of. "But Hokage-sama, that's…that's…I don't' even know what the hell to call it!" she brazenly proclaimed

"Are you questioning my orders Anko?" Sarutobi admonished icily as he glared at the woman. Anko instantly muttered an apology as she gazed at the floor, ashamed at her outburst. "This mission is S-ranked and is only to be known about by you and me. Do you understand Anko?" The Hokage added.

"I understand, Hokage-sama," Anko replied quietly as she kept her gaze fixed on the carpeted floor.

"Your squad leader has already been informed that you will not be attending training for the next week. In addition, I have prepared a summoning scroll for all of this information," the Hokage informed as he patted the topmost scroll in the pile. Anko walked towards the large desk and pocketed the summoning scroll in the pocket of her trench jacket. "You are dismissed."

And with that, Anko made a single handsign and disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

---

Anko glared disdainfully at the piles of documents that sat on the small table in her room. It had taken her almost an hour to sort through all of the files, and she could think of only one person who was mentally deranged enough to be considered for evaluation and yet was still only an academy student.

"Damn Uchiha," Anko grumbled as she reluctantly opened the official history on the child in question, "Not only do I have to put up with them when they're alive, but I have to put up with them after they all get slaughtered; just perfect." However, as she began to thoroughly read through the documented history, her eyes widened in shock.

"This kid…is a maniac," Anko muttered in amazement, "Twenty charges of disturbing the peace, thirty charges of theft, twenty two charges of vandalism, ten charges of unprovoked assault, and three charges of attempted murder. How the hell is this kid even allowed living a free life let alone attending ninja academy?" Anko asked herself as she shook her head in disbelief.

"And to top it all off, every single charge was waived off by the Hokage." And then, out of the blue, she began chuckling as she let the document fall to the floor.

"This is gonna be one hell of a mission," she muttered as she picked up the paper and began to re-read the document, quickly jotting down detailed notes in a small marble notebook.

And as she began to read through more of the documents, she became so engrossed in her work that, before she even realized it, several hours had passed and her notebook lay on the table, its pages empty except for several words. In fact, she barely even needed the notebook anymore; she could remember almost every detail of the reports.

Not that it was very hard, that is. Most of the first-hand accounts depicted him as a malevolent, heartless, demonic being that enjoyed making the lives of the villagers horrible.

And then, there were the one or two that only hinted that something was wrong with the boy; such as the hospital records, which recorded a total of sixty visits from him over the past four years. And no matter how severe the injury was, whether it was a fractured bone or a severe concussion, he had always been discharged only a day later. This, along with the criminal record the boy accumulated, were the only things that kept Anko from merely dismissing the boy as another "punk-ass little brat."

Anko took a deep breath as she grabbed the next folder in her pile; teacher reports. She had no doubt that the reports would be just as negative, and anonymous, as the other first-hand accounts had been. But as she slowly opened the folder, her eyes widened in utter astonishment.

'_No way,' _she thought as she looked thoughtfully at the calligraphy on the first page, '_It can't be…' _Hurriedly, she began reading the report, and she shook her head in bewilderment. _'This is…so like Iru-baka. When __**he**__ talks about the kid, Iru-baka makes him look like a hero or something.' _she concluded with a sigh.

'_But now, now I want to meet the little bugger. After all, if the brat's got 'an enormous amount of untapped potential,' like Iru-baka said, and he's such a 'menace to society,' who knows what could happen if an enemy country or Danzō got a hold of him,' _thought Anko, who shivered at the mere thought of her subject after being put through the brutal dehumanizing training of Root or merciless torture at the hands of foreign ninja.

'_And if they found out that he's hated by a crap-load of people and that he's an orphan it'd only encourage them to either kill him or breed a killing machine. And so, even if Hokage-sama considers it treason, I need to find out who my subject is because I'm not going to be able to truly test the capacity of this kid if I only have bullshit like this to reference.'_

"I've read through about half of this stuff in four hours; I think I deserve a break," muttered Anko thoughtfully as she stood up from her table and tried to get the thought of a bloodthirsty killing machine out of her head. "I wonder if I can get to Iru-baka before his brats do; he'd know who the little brat is."

----

Umino Iruka had what many people considered to be an obsessive personality. For some people this was a horrible trait that merely hindered them. However, for someone like Iruka, it was a great benefit. He caught any and all mistakes on the tests he gave to his students, kept his desk organized at all times, and wasted no time at all in doing paperwork.

And so, when he arrived at the academy thirty minutes later than usual, there was no lack of concern from the other teachers, who questioned the young teacher if anything was wrong. Iruka, however, merely waved them off with the generic "Everything's fine" excuse.

But, of course, everything was not fine with Iruka because that morning he discovered, the hard way, that his alarm clock no longer worked. Luckily, though, everything was in order and he had been able to get out of his house quicker than usual.

And so, as Iruka stood outside the door to his classroom, his eyes drooping with sleep and his clothing wrinkled, he figured that he would have the small amount of time before class began to drink a cup of coffee and straighten out his plans for the day. But all of those plans were shot down the second he walked into the room and was met by an explosion.

Instinctively, he quickly drew several kunai as a plethora of loud popping sounds went off in quick succession as he began scanning the room for the source.

"Pretty sweet, aren't they?" asked someone from out of nowhere. Iruka quickly looked towards where he thought the voice came from, only to find that there was no one there. "They're early prototypes of a new kind of motion sensor that R&D needed tests for; when any trace of human chakra comes in contact with them, they begin making that really awesome firecracker sound you just heard," explained the mystery person. At this, Iruka's face reddened and he clenched his teeth.

"What the hell were you thinking?" he demanded. "This is a classroom for God's sake, not some laboratory to test some prototype bomb!" he admonished loudly as he moved to the center of the room and glared at the desks, as if the miscreant would come out if subjected to Iruka's "angry teacher" look.

"Don't feed me that indignant teacher bullcrap," spat the hidden person. "Both of us know that the prankster in you would jump at the chance to get some of these." At this Iruka opened his mouth to retort, but slowly closed it and embarrassedly gazed at the ground.

'_I've got to admit, you could do wonders with those things,' _Iruka thoughtfully pondered. '_No, stop thinking about that! You're a teacher now, what would your students think of you if they found you ogling some noise grenade?' _Iruka snapped at himself. Iruka turned around suddenly as he heard something collide softly with the desk, only to find a woman leaning against his desk.

"You're late, Iru-baka," the woman greeted with a grin. Iruka only shook his head as everything began to make sense.

"Good morning to you too, Anko," Iruka murmured as he visibly relaxed at the sight of his old teammate. _'Of all of the times she decides to drop by, she chooses the day that my entire morning is screwed up, and while I'm at work!' _Iruka disdainfully thought, _'But I guess I shouldn't be that surprised, especially since I've known her for so long. _

"I bet you're wondering why I'm here," Anko stated playfully as she stood up straight. And then, before Iruka could respond, she began talking again. "Well, I'm here because I need to talk to you about something."

"I don't have time to talk Anko," Iruka responded as he dropped his folders on to his desk. "Right now I need to prepare for my class; which starts in…ten minutes" he wearily announced as he glanced at his wristwatch.

"No, I need to talk **now**," she demanded as she walked towards Iruka. "And before you ask; yes, I cannot wait until you're done teaching."

"Anko I really don't have any time at all to do anything right now," exasperatedly plead Iruka as he backed away from the advancing Anko. "I'm already behind in making plans and…" Iruka slowly halted his speech as the sound of raucous shouting and cheering wafted into the room.

"I need to go break up a fight," Iruka added, relieved at the perfect timing of the fighting. And with that he hurriedly left the classroom.

---

'_He really thinks that I'll just leave?' _Anko thought with a smirk as she watched him run out of the room. _'Well, he's got another thing coming, because until he tells me what I want to know I'm not leaving.' _Anko then began running after the chūnin, hoping to get to him before he reached the source of the shouting so that she could watch the events that would unfold. _'For all I know, my subject could be right there in the center of it all,' _she thought with a grin, _'Hell, I know it's him! From what I've read he'd be one to start a fight with another student. I mean, even Iru-baka hinted at aggressiveness beneath all of the 'praise' he wrote about the kid.' _

It only took Anko a few seconds to catch up to Iruka, and when she did, she gripped his shoulder, halting his run.

"I'm not going to stop bugging you until you let me talk," Anko insisted as she tightened her grip.

"Let go Anko," Iruka responded detachedly. At this, Anko reluctantly released her prey, finally understanding that the man would not consent. "Tell me what's so important that you won't leave me alone as I settle this," he added. At this Anko gave a huge grin as both of them began walking towards the commotion.

"I can't tell you **exactly **why it's so important," Anko began to explain, "But I need information regarding one of your students; it's an issue of possible life and death."

"I take it the student you want info about is in Class 2," responded Iruka as the shouting of children grew louder. "There's a kid from just about every major clan in that class."

"Maybe," muttered Anko, "Do any of them have criminal records?" At this Iruka stopped in his tracks, causing Anko to look at Iruka with a confused expression on her face. "Did I say something wrong?"

"Anko, watch out!" Iruka demanded, as he looked right past Anko while completely disregarding her question. Anko's ninja reflexes immediately kicked in as she pivoted 180 degrees as she quickly drew a kunai in each hand. And as soon as her hand felt the cool metal of the kunai handle, she flung one at the large projectile that was sailing towards her and brought the other one up in front of her torso, ready to block any follow-up attacks.

The kunai she threw hit the incoming projectile dead center; causing it to explode and its contents to cascade out, splashing anyone near the explosion. And, unfortunately for Anko, she was only a few feet away from the blast. Then, because Anko didn't feel any kind of burning sensation from where the liquid hit her bare skin, she began to wipe her. As she tried ridding her skin of the sticky contents of the balloon, she glared at the remnants of the water balloon that had been thrown at her.

'_Who in the name of god fills a water balloon with __**ramen broth**__?' _Anko thought, disgust filling her as the recognizable scent wafted through her nos. _'I swear I will horribly torture whichever little shit that thought it would be a good idea to throw a damn water balloon filled with ramen broth at me!' _She then finally noticed the group of ten or twelve young kids staring at her, wide-eyed and scared out of their minds.

"Alright," Anko growled at the students, barely containing a wild rage, "Which one of you brats threw a damn water balloon at me?" she demanded, clenching her fists and giving each of the kids a look that could kill.

"Great job," muttered one of the boys to seemingly no one in particular. "You try to hit me with a water balloon and instead you somehow manage to hit Sensei's girlfriend instead. It's no wonder you're dead last," the boy scoffed.

'_Uchiha,' _thought Anko with disdain. _'No one else could muster that trademark 'I'm better than you so deal with it' attitude.' _And then the full meaning of what Sasuke said began to sink in.

"I'm not Iru-baka's girlfriend!" Anko rebutted angrily, "And which one of your little monkey friends were you talking to?" she demanded. Sasuke's eyes widened as Anko finished her ant, and she smirked in response. "What, surprised that an adult ninja could overhear your little conversation?"

"Dobe," Sasuke stated simply to Anko, his eyes meeting hers defiantly. But before she could deal with the boy who had the balls to call **her **an idiot, the entire group of kids began to collapse around him; each student walking to their classrooms quickly, especially the two girls that had to pass Anko.

Well, almost the entire group; there was one youth who stood defiantly behind Sasuke, the other boy glaring at the Uchiha prodigy.

"At least I'm not a bastard like you," spat the boy as he walked past Sasuke, who finally broke his stare with Anko and followed the two girls reluctantly, trying to avoid the lustful gazes they set towards him.

And as the untamed rage within Anko began to simmer down, she realized that she recognized 'Dobe', who approached the kunoichi with his gaze cast down towards the floor.

'_This is him; I'm positive of it. This seems like just the thing Subject would do,' _she thought, excitement bubbling up inside her for some unexplainable reason. _'Naruto is the kid that 'holds an infinite potential' and favor of Sarutobi-sama. He's the one that could very well hold the key for Konoha's future.' _But then, the full meaning of this discovery began to sink in, and her fury was once again rekindled. But this time, it was at the writers of all of the reports she had read.

'_How dare they,' _Anko thought maliciously, _'How dare they lie so blatantly in an official report. How could they do that knowing they could completely screw the future of a young kid? And all of those criminal offenses, were they made up to?' _

"I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to hit you with that water balloon,," mumbled the boy as he shifted his weight. "I'll pay for anything I damaged," the boy muttered after a long silence, still not looking at the older woman.

'_What the hell's happened to you?' _Anko silently demanded of the younger boy, not hearing any of what he was saying. _'Why are you so quiet damn it?' _

"Just say that it's alright," Iruka whispered to Anko as he walked up to her. "The both of us need to get out of here and get to class before the other students get into another fight." At first, Anko did not reply, leaving the atmosphere in tensed silence. And then, when it seemed as if neither of the three could take any more of the awkward silence, Anko spoke.

"You still haven't learned how to say 'I'm done,' have you Naruto? I would've thought that by now that you would figure out how far to push before you're pushed back," Anko off-handedly asked the boy with a smirk, surprising both the sullen student and Iruka. At hearing this, the boy finally looked up at Anko, and couldn't help but smile.

"Nope," stated Naruto simply, his smile growing wider. "And I still think that lesson was stupid," he added teasingly.

"It's nice to see that you've still got some spark in you," remarked Anko. At this Naruto's bright attitude at seeing Anko seemed to dim, an innate sadness overcoming him. "Well, anyway, I hope you've learned something today," Anko stated in a more serious tone, not failing to notice the shift in the boy's mood.

"Don't throw water balloons at other people?" Naruto questioned.

"Make sure that when you throw a water balloon, it hits the target," Anko corrected. "But, as Iru-baka said, you need to go to class. After all, it won't do for a little kid like you to miss class," she taunted. Naruto then began to walk away from Anko and towards Iruka, who remained strangely quiet throughout the exchange.

But suddenly, he turned around and gazed at the older woman, looking much older than an ordinary nine year old should look.

"I told you I'm not little!" Naruto shouted loudly out of the blue, completely shattering the wizened appearance that he had just several seconds ago. "And when I become Hokage, you'll have to bow down to me! Who'll be the little one then?" Naruto promised confidently with a broad grin, before quickly turning around and running towards Iruka's classroom, leaving the two older ninja alone.

"I'm surprised you haven't made some stupidly obvious statement like 'you know each other' or 'I didn't know you knew him' yet," Anko remarked playfully to Iruka once Naruto had disappeaed. However, her taunts left Iruka unfazed, his face still contorted in thought.

"What's the matter Iru-baka; cat got your tongue?" further taunted Anko as her grin grew.

"Anko," stated Iruka in a firm voice. "I don't think you understand how important that just was." At hearing this, Anko's interest piqued, and she stopped her teasing.

"Oh?" Anko asked as one of her eyebrows rose. "Please enlighten me, almighty Iruka-sensei, as to how important my conversation with your student was."

"That's the first time I've ever seen him smile," Iruka replied, his tone devoid of any emotion. Anko burst out into laughter as Iruka spoke. She knew there was no way that they were talking about the same boy. She just couldn't imagine Naruto in a perpetually brooding state, or even a perpetually thoughtful state without bursting out into laughter.

"You're joking with me right?" Anko asked through her laughter. "That kid, not smiling? Hell might as well freeze over!" Iruka, however, didn't react at all. And this reaction, or rather, lack of, caused Anko to stop laughing.

_'He's really serious,'_ she thought incredulously. _'He's never seen Naruto smile.'_

"So does he just sulk and brood all day?" Anko asked the stone-faced teacher in disbelief.

"No; he does the opposite," Iruka answered, empathy breaking through his stony façade, "He's loud, obnoxious, and frankly, he's a pain in the ass."

"But I can see it in him when he pretends to smile, Anko," Iruka explained quickly, cutting off Anko's rebuttal. "Just like I used to do, he stretches it a bit too far, so that his hidden pain shows, if only a little." At this point, Iruka's expression changed to what Anko called his "worry face;" his forehead wrinkled in concern, his teeth chewing slightly on his lower lip in between words, and his eyes were filled with concern and compassion.

"You remember that feeling, right Anko? That bitter loneliness that kept you from making friends or having fun. Or the pain you felt when you had to convince everyone that you were alright, even when you weren't?" Iruka appealed. At this point, Anko's eyes began to fill up with the same empathetic pain that filled Iruka's own eyes.

"How can I forget those times?" Anko questioned with a sad smile. "Those dark times of suffering and pretending, it shaped who I am today."

"Well, then you should remember this time too," Iruka responded, "The times when you were overcame by joy you felt when you met that special someone that could just take the pain away with just a smile and a few words?" Iruka inquired further. At this Anko slowly nodded her head as she began to relive the memory of her meeting with Sarutobi that one morning. And she still remembered that feeling of liberty she felt when she sobbed into his arms. How there was nothing more to hide.

"You are that person for Naruto," Iruka stated blatantly. "Just by seeing how natural and relaxed he acted once he knew it was you that he hit with the balloon, I can tell. You can do for him what Hokage-sama did for you or what Mikoto-sensei did for me," Iruka further elaborated, excitement beginning to bubble in his voice.

"You can save him," Iruka concluded as he looked at his watch. "Crap, I'm late for my class," he muttered, somewhat deflating at the aspect of having to regain the attention of an entire class of nine year olds. "I'll see you later Anko, and I hope you think about what I said," he announced as he preformed shunshin and disappeared in the trademark poof of smoke.

_'I can…save him,' _she thought detachedly. _'I can be the one to comfort him and tell him that everything's okay.' _A large smile began to spread across her face as a plethora of possibilities bombarded her imagination.

_'He won't have to pretend anymore,' _she thought ecstatically, _'He won't have to suck up to everyone around him to feel accepted. He won't feel alone and dejected.' _

"He…might be put in a mental institution and be permanently taken out of the ninja system," Anko muttered, this new revelation hitting her like a ton of bricks. "All depending on what I write in that stupid report."

Throughout all of her excitement, she had completely forgotten the fact that she was supposed to evaluate Naruto, or rather, "Subject," based on the official documents. And now that she actually knew who her subject was, she wouldn't be able to write a strictly document based report without hating herself. Because if she went strictly by the documents, there was no way in hell Naruto would ever be able to become a genin, let alone Hokage.

"I've really screwed myself this time," morosely muttered Anko. What she really wanted to do was shout and curse and destroy everything near her; but she figured that the Hokage wouldn't appreciate having the Academy building destroyed.

"Well," Anko proclaimed with a sigh. "I've still got a couple of piles of documents to read through and three days to figure out a way to remain truthful to the reports but keep him out of an asylum. I'll manage to find a way, somehow."

She then began to form the handsigns for shunshin, but stopped herself.

'_I think I'll walk instead,' _she thought. _'After all, don't genius ideas happen during long walks?'_ And so, she began the fifteen-minute walk to her house, walking slowly as she tried to clear her head of the predicament she faced.

'_I really need to bathe and change these clothes,' _Anko thought with disgust. _'I doubt any guy would want to go out with a girl that smelled like old ramen.' _

---

I'm really sorry for the horrendously late update. I'm going to try and update much sooner next time, which is possible considering I'm finally on Spring Break. Again, any comment or criticism you may have is greatly appreciated.


	4. One of a Kind

I'll keep this short and simple; I'm sorry for the unacceptable delay in the release of this chapter. Thanks for all of your patience and enjoy the chapter!

I apologize in advance for not having enough action, Naruto, and too many long-winded conversations in this chapter. This will be the last chapter in this "arc" and Naruto will begin to become a major character once again.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

**Chapter 4: One-of-a-Kind**

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_**Between demon and men there is a great difference.**_

_**But when push comes to shove there is a demon in every man**_

_**and a man in every demon. **_

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Naruto jealously watched the other students leave the room as he slumped back in his seat, a grimace set on his face. It was something that Naruto had gotten used to over the past year and a half, but by no means did it make detention any less painful. For some reason, Iruka was always able to find some way to keep him after school; his reasons ranging from punishment for falling asleep or skipping, to extra help, and even for the young boy to be lectured on 'expressing himself.' And Naruto hated him for it. In fact, Iruka was one of the people that Naruto hated the most, along with several people from the orphanage and the Konoha Military Police.

Soon, Iruka and Naruto were the only two people left in the large classroom. Iruka sat at his desk starting working on one of many large stacks of paperwork while Naruto listened wistfully to the voices of his classmates that drifted into the room, wishing that he could be able to revel in the juvenile ecstasy of darting out of the room and then losing himself in a maelstrom of activity.

_'Why did I have to miss?' _Naruto moaned to himself as he sighed deeply. _'I mean, I wouldn't be nearly as sorry if I had actually hit Sasuke-teme or Iruka-sensei with the balloon; but Anko-chan? If I had known that she'd be here, I probably would've waited and put the stupid thing on his seat or something.' _

"Naruto?" Iruka asked as he broke the silence between the two of them.

"What is it?" Naruto asked, his head cradled in between his arms as he stared out of the large window in the classroom as his eyes closed against the bright sunlight. _'Oh great,' _Naruto thought with dread,_ 'Here comes the 'I know what's best for you lecture.'' _

"This is the third time this week I found you fighting with Sasuke," Iruka stated blandly. Naruto quietly groaned as Iruka proved his prediction right. Naruto had heard them all before, and frankly, he was sick of how Iruka was always so worried over him. After all, Iruka had a class of at least thirty kids, yet he only seemed to worry about Naruto.

"Is everything all right at home Naruto?" Iruka asked his student in a serious tone after several seconds of strained silence.

"Everything's fine Iruka-sensei," Naruto answered happily as he lifted his head and exchanged looks with his teacher. "You're just worrying too much about me; you should worry about Sasuke-teme. He's a little mixed-up in the head, if you know what I mean," Naruto then gave Iruka a broad grin.

Iruka gave a large sigh as he gazed upon the young boy with sorrow, not convinced by the boy's strainede smile. He knew that everything was, indeed, not all right with his young student. In fact, Iruka knew that Naruto's life was a horrible one, especially for someone his age.

'_He really needs some friends; it's not healthy for him to have no one at all to spend time with without being punished or reprimanded,'_ Iruka thought. _'And then maybe he would be able to excel in school and he wouldn't be seen as socially inept.' _

"Hey Iruka-sensei, if you're just going to sit there and do nothing, then can I just leave?" Naruto asked as he subtly changed his position, ready to leap out of his chair at a moment's notice. Iruka then gave Naruto a reproving look, causing the student to squirm in his seat to try to lessen the gravity of Iruka's look.

"You need to learn that your actions have consequences Naruto," Iruka sternly lectured, his gaze boring into Naruto. "And until you do, you'll never be able to graduate. And so now, you'll sit there quietly until I tell you that you can go," Iruka ordered as he returned to systematically grading tests for his classes. Naruto grimaced as he slouched back in his seat and crossed his arms over his chest, angry with Iruka for not letting him get his way.

'_Couldn't he at least make me __**do **__something while I'm here?' _Naruto asked himself irritably as he stuck his tongue out at his sensei while he sat hunched over some piece of paperwork. However, Naruto quickly retracted it and glared coldly at Iruka as the older ninja glanced up at his pupil. After several minutes of trying to sit still, Naruto was fed up with Iruka's 'harsh' punishment.

"Iruka-sensei," Naruto whined obnoxiously, "How long do I have to sit here like this for? It's been forever since I've been here and I really really want to go home!"

"Too bad, you'll stay here as long as I want you to," Iruka answered evenly, not even bothering Naruto. "And I don't want to hear your complaining," added Iruka wearily. Even though he tried to be exceptionally patient with his students, especially the younger ones, he wasn't a saint. And at that moment, all Iruka wanted to do was lay his head down on his desk and close his eyes for a second, a minute, an hour, maybe even a lifetime.

"Well I'm not going to stop whining until you let me go," retorted Naruto smugly, thinking that he had forced his sensei into a stalemate. He knew that if he didn't find some kind of loophole that would release him from the hell of detention, Iruka would easily keep him there for an hour.

"Then I guess we'll have to stay here until tomorrow, right Naruto?" Iruka asked off-handedly as he still focused on his paperwork, depriving Naruto of the attention he so desperately desired. And at hearing this, Naruto's eyes bugged out and he drew a sharp breath, mortified at the idea of having to spend the entire night in the classroom.

'You can't do that!" Naruto shouted angrily at Iruka as he jumped out of his seat and pointed accusingly at the teacher, his chair clattering against the hardwood floor. "I have stuff I need to do!"

"I'm sure you do," Iruka nonchalantly answered, "I have errands to run and chores to do too. So the sooner you quiet down, the sooner the both of us can get out of here. You need to learn that every action you make has a consequence, and if you keep acting irresponsibly you'll get into trouble that no one will be able to get you out of."

So Naruto remained silent, as much as it killed him. However, the entire time he was kept prisoner by the older man he glared spitefully at Iruka, radiating a fierce aura of hatred. Iruka, however, did not seem to be fazed by Naruto's malice as he moved on to planning the next day's lesson plan, stifling a large yawn.

When Iruka first started teaching Naruto's class, he had taken special care to remember what each student was like, their likes and dislikes, the other students they were friends with, and what provoked them. And throughout the time Iruka knew the blond-haired troublemaker Iruka learned that Naruto lusted for attention and would do anything to get it, including vandalism and getting into fights with anyone that happened to be near him at the time. So when he did these things, Iruka just began to ignore Naruto whenever he had to stay after school, hoping that eventually the boy would learn that he wouldn't get the attention he wanted by acting like a criminal.

By the time Iruka finished all of his planning and paperwork and had decided Naruto had stayed long enough; the sun had just began to disappear over the horizon, tinting the sky a mix of lavender and blue. He then looked up towards his young charge, who had remained uncharacteristically quiet for the past hour, and Iruka couldn't help but bx at the sight in front of him. The usually boisterous child lay sprawled over his desk as his head lay in a nest of orange cloth as spittle dribbled out from the side of his mouth. Even though he had seen Naruto sleep numerous times in his class, he had always seemed restless and tensed, as if expecting to be attacked at any time. But now, he seemed to be at peace, his muscles almost completely relaxed as he snored lightly. For Iruka, this was another sign of hope that Naruto was in fact human and not some blood lusting demon.

Iruka then walked over to Naruto's desk and carefully gathered the young boy's sleeping form into his arms as the boy's large orange jacket hung over Iruka's shoulder. As Iruka began to carry the young boy toward his apartment, he was surprised by how light Naruto was. He had known that Naruto probably didn't eat often due to the monthly stipend the village council sent to the young boy (Iruka himself had received these same stipends and could still remember how pitiful the stipends were), but he had thought that Naruto was at least moderately healthy. But the young boy Iruka held in his hands looked like a ghost of the Naruto that Iruka had known.

'_It was that orange jumpsuit,' _Iruka thought as he walked thru the clamoring streets of the village, _'that ugly thing made him look heavier than he actually is. And even with that ugly thing on he looked pretty thin; without it, he's only skin, bones, and muscle.' _Soon enough, Iruka had reached his destination, Naruto's apartment building. Iruka looked with disgust at the shoddy, rundown looking building as a large rat scurried across the entrance.

'_At least when I was a kid I could afford a place that wasn't a total dump,' _Iruka thought, revolted at the sight of the shattered windows and chipped paint of the complex. And as he entered the door, his disgust only greatened as the cheap faded wallpaper was peeling off of the walls and a sickening stench, a pleasant mix of alcohol, piss, and cigarette smoke, permeated the air.

As Iruka walked thru the all but abandoned hallways of the building, trying not to gag on the disgusting odor, he searched for the young boy's apartment. Usually, Iruka wouldn't bother with memorizing the address of a student; but with Naruto's unique situation, it was required. If anything were to happen to Naruto while under his watch, it was Iruka's responsibility as Naruto's teacher to bring the boy to his apartment, where another chūnin would be waiting to protect Naruto until the threat had passed.

And as Iruka finally found and entered Naruto's apartment, he lay the young boy down on a small ratty futon that was set in a small room in the back, where there was only the small bed and a closet. To say that Iruka was surprised at the condition of Naruto's apartment would be a gross understatement. There was hardly any garbage lying around and the miniature kitchen was almost spotless, with the exception a dirty plate or two. Even the walls looked as if they had been redone in the past several years. He could only marvel at how the young boy found the time and energy to keep such a rundown apartment in such good condition, along with pranking various persons of the village and attend school.

'_Just being an orphan is hard,' _Iruka thought as he took one final glance towards the sleeping boy, who had curled into a ball once he had been placed on to the futon, _'But then to have __**that**__ sealed inside of him too, it's no wonder he turned out to be who he is. I don't think anyone would be able to handle the amount of stress he's under.'_ He then left the small apartment, leaving Naruto to himself in his own dream world, where anything was possible and he was safe from the spiteful grasps of the paranoid.

And as he walked the bustling streets of Konoha, the question that had been nagging at him for the past few hours resurfaced in his mind. It had been truly miraculous that Anko had been asking for information on a certain student, only to have the student she was interested in be the one that he had been fretting about for the past year and a half. Another thing Iruka found queer about the situation was that Anko hadn't dealt Naruto any kind of punishment for pelting her with a balloon full of ramen broth. Iruka still had the scars from the last time he had angered the kunoichi.

'_It has been a while since I last visited her,' _mused Iruka as he shoved his hands in his pockets as he walked slowly on the dirt packed roads. _'Maybe it's time we shared a bottle of sake, like in the old days.'_ And so, with that in mind, Iruka fingered his wallet as he imagined a nice jug, imported all the way from Ta no Kuni.

And as he found just the right kind of saké he was looking for, and at a cheap price at that, he had a good feeling about the events that would come to pass later that night.

Papers were scattered all around Anko's feet as she manically scribbled notes in her once forgotten notebook as she meticulously read thru each document several times over, making sure she didn't overlook even the tiniest of details that might be able to help her save Naruto from being institutionalized.

'_But what if this isn't him and it really is that Uchiha brat, or someone else completely that could actually be helped by going to a shrink for a few years and getting psychotherapy?' _Anko thought as she squinted at the hastily written out account in front of her, this time from Naruto's landlord, as only a dim light entered thru her kitchen window. _'And what if Naruto really does need to go to a mental hospital? I'd just be hurting him more than I'd be helping him.' _She then released a feral cry of frustration as she dropped her pen and the landlord's account on the floor as she stood up from her chair and walked to the bathroom, thinking that a nice hot bath would help calm her mind.

As she immersed herself up to her neck in steamy bath water, she tilted her head back and closed her eyes as she tried not to think of evaluations, mental hospitals, or dirty little orphan boys. In this state she let her mind wander to a memory she had all but forgotten until then; the day that she had met her first genin team, the only team that she ever felt that she belonged in. And as she began to delve deeper and deeper into the past, her grip on the present began to slip, until half an hour had passed and the water had grown cold.

'_So, back to work then,' _Anko thought aversely as she stepped out of the bathtub and grabbed a towel to dry off. But soon after, the sound of her doorbell resonated throughout her house. _'I'll just tell who ever it is to bug off so I can finish this darn evaluation,' _Anko thought as she walked to the front of her house, slipping on a bathrobe and loosely tying it as she walked. But as she opened the door and was about to tell the visitor to scram when she saw who was standing at her door, and she cut herself off immediately.

"It's been a while since you've dropped by Iru-baka," Anko greeted playfully as she fixed her bathrobe, which had begun to slip off of one shoulder. _'Thank god I didn't just wear a towel,' _Anko thought with relief. Iruka blushed a bit as he saw Anko's robe begin to slip a bit, and at this Anko grinned like a Cheshire cat. "I always knew you were a closet pervert Iru-baka, but to use your friend as a way to get your kicks; I'm ashamed of you," Anko sadly admonished as she shook her head in mock shame. _'Tell him to go away…you have work to do,'_ Anko's conscience whispered to her. However, it was promptly ignored as Anko continued toying with Iruka.

"I am not a closet pervert!" refuted Iruka as his blush deepened tremendously, causing Anko's grin to widen. "I just figured that it's been too long since we've been in touch and thought it would be nice to catch up over some saké. But I guess you wouldn't want a pervert in your house, now would you?" Iruka asked angrily. At this Anko only chuckled slightly as she opened the door wider.

"Cool your jets Iruka," Anko said, "I was just pushing your buttons. You should know that I'd never mock a man for his taste in…pleasures. So get your ass and that jug of saké in here." Anko then led Iruka into the biggest room in her house, which, when her parents were still alive and her brother still lived with her, served as a lounge room; a place that one could lie down after a rough day and sleep, watch tv, or read a book. But in the past few years, Anko began using it as a room for storing various weapons and scrolls and also as a place to plan out missions with her squad.

"Just ignore all of the crap on the floor," Anko suggested as she moved a box of scrolls off of one of the couches and on to the matted floors. "I'll be back in a minute," Anko stated as she walked into her room and slipped out of her bathrobe and took out a loose fitting shirt and a pair of flannel pants.

_'You have a mission to complete Anko-chan,' _the voice whispered from the dark recesses of her mind, sending chills up her spine as she began dressing herself. _'You aren't going to let something as superficial as friends get in your way, are you?' _

"You have no idea what friends even are you bastard!" she hissed at the voice. She then began to breathe deeply as she tried to regain her composure, her entire body shaking in pure rage at the mere thought of her first sensei, who still haunted her thoughts after his desertion. After calming down and completely dressing, she returned to the lounge room, where Iruka had already poured out two saucers of the sake and was waiting patiently for her to return.

"So, Iru-baka, are you and that prissy little bitch still going out?" Anko casually asked as she began to drink out of her saucer.

"That 'prissy little bitch' has a name you know," Iruka answered sharply, "And no, Kurenai and I broke up a while ago."

"Good," Anko remarked smugly, "She was definitely not your type Iru-kun. She was a snobby perfectionist. And I don't even want to imagine what your children would've been like." At this Iruka showed Anko a very distinctive hand sign, making Anko flash a huge grin towards her friend. "Oh get a sense of humor Iru-kun, I was just kidding around with you. So is anything in specific on your mind?"

"Yeah, actually; it's about you," Iruka answered, still angry at Anko for her bad attempt at humor.

"I take it you want to know how Naruto and I know each other," Anko stated, the mirth in her features replaced by mild concern. Iruka responded with a 'spill it' look; the kind he would give one of his students when they had a secret.

"I met him about two years ago," Anko began as she lifted her saucer off of the table. "Back then I could barely see his face thru the grime and he was even scrawnier than he is now. Anyways, I found him hiding in my house from some of the other orphan kids during a thunderstorm. And, feeling sorry for the poor kid, gave him refuge for the night. I can honestly say I had never seen anyone else be more excited than he was when I told him that he could stay.

"And before he left I taught him some rudimentary kata and gave him some taijutsu tips. Until today, I just kind of forgot about him," she recounted before taking a sip of the saké, purposely leaving out the exact terms under which the two of them met, thinking that Iruka didn't have to know that tiny little detail.

"So it was you then!" Iruka exclaimed loudly, causing Anko to give her friend a queer look. "You're the one that taught him how to fight!"

"Not really," Anko contradicted, taken aback by Iruka's sudden exclamation, "He was already pretty strong when I found him and his form was on par with that of a first or second year academy student's. All I did was fine tune his skills."

"Well, whatever you did, it caused Naruto's taijutsu skills to incredibly improve," Iruka stated firmly, "Because about two years ago Iwanabe-san reported that Naruto had assaulted three other children at her orphanage. She said that he had knocked one of them unconscious and scribbled on his face with a marker, tied and gagged another to a tree, and hung the third one to a tree branch upside-down, after stripping her down to her undergarments."

At this Anko cracked a grin as she poured herself more saké.

"I knew that he had the balls to actually and try to do it, but I never thought that he'd actually be able to," Anko thought out loud proudly, noticing Iruka's confused look out of the corner of her eye. "And I've got to admit that not even I would've been brave, or stupid, enough to prank them afterwards."

"You knew?" He asked incredulously.

"Of course I knew," Anko smugly responded, "In fact, one of the last things Naruto told me before leaving was that he was going to kick some ass."

"You know, you and him are a lot alike," Iruka stated after several seconds of silence.

"And how's that Iruka?" Anko asked, her interest piqued for the moment by her friend's observation. Of course, she wasn't oblivious to the fact that she and Naruto had some things in common, but she wanted to know what Iruka's thoughts on the subject were. Because, despite being soft-hearted and painfully naïve at times, he was an excellent judge of character and could compare and contrast even the smallest details between people with little effort.

"Well, you both have this _thing_about you," Iruka began to explain vaguely, "Whenever people are around you, any kind of false impressions they give off seem to disappear. Like the time you knew that something was wrong with Sora after…" Iruka didn't finish his sentence as he saw the pained expression on Anko's face. "Oh, sorry Anko, I wasn't thinking clearly."

"It's fine; just keep talking," Anko replied quickly with a dismissing wave of her hand.

"Alright," Iruka stuttered as he tried to resume his train of thought, "Well, whenever I try to act like the responsible figure of authority I'm supposed to be when I'm having a real shitty day he catches on immediately, no matter how hard I try to hide it. Of course, instead of just avoiding confrontation like any normal person would try to do, he seems to antagonize me even more than he usually does.

"And he's like you in that way too, Anko. He defies every authoritative figure in ways I would never have dreamed of. I mean, just the other week he had somehow gotten a hold of an ANBU member's mask and scribbled on it with permanent marker. Not only would I never have thought of doing something that asinine, but even I had, I never would have been able to actually go through with it."

"That's because you don't have any balls Iru-kun," Anko interjected in a sickeningly sweet tone. To this Iruka answered by angrily glaring at his old friend, who merely smiled at him.

"The more I think about it, the more I feel you would've been a great tutor for him," Iruka pondered out loud. "Especially after what I've seen between you two and what you've told me. You're the only adult other than the Hokage he respects. And if he cloud glean so much knowledge after just a single day of taijutsu, just imagine how much he could improve over a few months, or even a year," Iruka stated with wonder.

"Why did you say that I 'would've been' a good tutor?" Anko asked incredulously. "It's not like he's been kicked out of the academy or anything, right?" _'After all,'_ Anko thought, _'His evaluation's coming up pretty soon. It'd be idiotic to have kicked him out of the academy beforehand.' _

"The village won't allow him to remain my student for much longer. There are too many people who would love to see him locked up, or worse," Iruka answered truthfully, "And who would care if a single orphan with no political connections, family, or friends just happened to disappear one day?"

"That's unlike you Iruka," Anko remarked distastefully, "You're not someone who acts like a defeatist, so why are you starting to act like one now?"

"Am I a defeatist for speaking the truth?" Iruka asked Anko.

"No, you're a defeatist for acting like a defeatist! Jesus, I thought that was self-explanatory!" Anko yelled at Iruka. "You know just as well as I do that no one who 'just up and disappears' is missed! Even if this village is screwed up in so many ways that I can't even begin to count them, we're all joined in alliance in this village. We all have a duty to protect this village, and that means the people within them also.

"Yes, there are people that will hate others just for being different, but there are just as many people who will give someone different a chance. Even though I may have hated the crockpot council members for practically isolating me from the rest of the village, people stood up for me, like Hokage-sama and Mikoto-sensei. And just the fact that they existed proves that you're nothing but a goddamn defeatist Iruka!"

"I guess you're right," Iruka seemingly relented, before rebutting, "But does the fact that this village is an entire family sate the paranoid needs of the people who want Konoha to be rid of him? Or does it keep you from hating the people who wanted to strip you of your ranks and put you under permanent house arrest?" He then waited for several seconds, waiting for Anko's response. After getting none, he continued his rebuttal.

"There is no place in this world for demons Anko. By doing what he did, the Yondaime condemned an innocent boy to a fate worse than hell itself; a life of isolation, ignorance, and hatred. And no matter what you, or I, or anything does about it we can't change the fact that he'll never be accepted by society! And because of that, he'll grow up to be cold and bitter all because of some event that happened seven years ago that he had nothing to do with!!"

"Shut up!" barked Anko as rage began to boil within her, "You don't have any idea what you're even saying; do you? How can you put such little faith in your own student? You yourself have said how different this kid is from everyone else, how he seems to see what's beneath the underneath. What could possibly make you think he'd react to this like any normal person would? Just remember that neither of us were exactly the 'golden children' of our generation. But still we thrived and grew up to shove it up the asses of anyone who had doubted us in the past. And even if he's removed from the academy's program, he'll find another way to succeed and other people to piss off.

He may be a demon and grow up to be a psychotic mass-murderer. Or maybe the Sandaime's right and he just houses the kyūbi and will grow up like any other kid and serve our village faithfully. Who the hell knows? But what you're saying now gives no justice to him, the Yondaime, or to yourself."

"You have no idea how frustrating it is being his teacher," Iruka stated, "You don't have a clue how much effort I've put into keeping him above the passing line in his classes, or how much he hates me because of all of the times he's had to stay after school for a detention or so that I can help him learns something he either slept through or doesn't understand. It hurts to know that he hates me, but I can live with it because he's improving. Over the past year he's been passing his classes with a less difficulty, and he's actually starting to excel in some class.

"But now, everything Naruto and I have done to help him succeed is going to be in vain," Iruka stated, his chest heaving heavily. During Iruka's rant, Anko began to calm down as she began to understand why Iruka was acting so strangely. And, even though she was still angry at Iruka for acting so pessimistic, her need to comfort her friend in his disheveled state took top priority as she moved closer to Iruka.

"And how do you figure that?" Anko asked, a tinge of derision barely noticeable in her voice. If Iruka noticed it, though, he didn't show it as he began to answer Anko's question.

"A messenger from the Hokage's office came during the students' lunch time to inform me that a psychological evaluation for Naruto has been scheduled in three days' time, and that he may no longer be permitted to attend classes at the academy," informed Iruka shakily. "You know what that means Anko; less than fifty percent of examinees are deemed mentally stable and are forced to either retire and live with family or take up residence in an asylum. And Naruto's status won't exactly help him, either."

"Don't worry," Anko comforted, feigning ignorance about the specifics of the issue, as she slung an arm around Iruka's shoulders, "Us examiners are trained to be unbiased when dealing with crap like that. I'm sure that whatever happens, it'll be for the best." After several seconds of just sitting with Iruka, Anko began speaking again. This time, though, her voice was much gentler and lacked the characteristic edginess that Anko usually spoke with.

"You know, Iru-kun, he's really lucky to have someone that cares so much for him as a teacher," Anko praised as she leaned into Iruka, resting her head against his. "I don't think anyone else would dedicate so much of their time just to get a single student to succeed and feel accepted. You're a one-of-a-kind guy, you know that? But the next time something like this happens, you really need to just come out and say what's on your mind without beating around the bush. It'd really just make my life and your life easier."

"I'll do that," Iruka answered quietly as he grinned at Anko. The two remained seated on Anko's couch for about an hour, before Iruka announced that he had to leave.

"See you soon Anko," Iruka said as he walked out of the door.

"Good luck to you and Naruto!" Anko called to his retreating form before closing the door. And then, with renewed vigor and all doubts abandoned, she returned to her mission.

"After all," Anko muttered to herself. "Those paranoid old farts aren't going to prove themselves wrong."

Anko impatiently waited in the reception room to the Hokage's tower, pacing back and forth nervously as she awaited the Hokage's final decision regarding Naruto's future. She had hoped it wouldn't take so soon after handing in her report for the old man to come to a decision. However, she had been called back to meet with the Hokage and several others in a meeting regarding Naruto's future only two days after handing in her evaluation.

'_What is taking them so long in there?' _Anko wondered anxiously as she glanced at the door leading further into the tower. _'My meeting was scheduled to take place ten minutes ago and I haven't even been acknowledged yet. I hope nothing urgent's come up, or who knows how long I'll be here for.' _

Just then, however, the door to the inner corridors opened, revealing the same messenger that had awoken her five days ago. He then glanced around the room, before his eyes landed on Anko.

"Good morning Mitarashi-san," the messenger chirped, "Hokage-sama requests your presence now." He then waited for Anko to walk past him before following her to the Hokage's office, closing the door quietly behind him.

"Just to warn you, Mitarashi-san, there's been a lot of arguing in there, so you best prepare yourself," warned the young man as they neared the Hokage's office.

"Thanks," Anko said carelessly as she began to open the door to the Hokage's office. However, she then stopped and turned back to the messenger. "What's your name kid?" Anko asked.

"Oh," exclaimed the man, surprised by the suddenness of the woman's question. "I'm…uhm…Nawabi Akira," he said.

"Thanks, Akira-kun," Anko replied, noticing for the first time just how boyish he looked. "Wish me luck," she added as she walked into the office.

Anko was not surprised by the lack of people waiting for her in the Hokage's office. As usual, there was the Hokage, a representative sent by the Council of Elders, and the legal guardian of the person in question.

"It seems that Mitarashi-san has arrived," Sarutobi stated regally. "I assume you have been acquainted with Narita Fuugo-san and Uzuki Yūgao-san?"

"Yes, I have," Anko answered dryly before turning to the two. "Good morning to you: Fuugo-san, Yūgao-san." With this, Anko added a slight bow towards the two and a larger one towards the Hokage. She then walked towards the only vacant seat in the room and took a seat before looking at the Hokage inquisitively. "Is there anything I should know before we should proceed?" Anko asked, noting how Yūgao glared at the middle-aged man seated next to her.

"No, you're completely up to date," Sarutobi answered. "So, unless there's any further objection, I will announce my decision." Silence was the only response from the three others in the room, and so he proceeded.

Anko drew in a deep breath as she prepared herself for whatever decision Sarutobi decided. She had worked endlessly on devising a solution that wouldn't be the cause of any controversy, and she hoped that, whatever happened, Naruto would not be slighted in the end.

"After reading the evaluation of Mitarashi Anko and listening to the accounts of Uzuki Yūgao, Narita Fuugo, Umino Iruka, Honda Ayame, and Yamada Tarō, I have come to the conclusion that, in his current state, Uzumaki Naruto is not psychologically stable to live in this village of Konohagakure no Sato," Sarutobi announced solemnly. At hearing this, Yūgao's gaze fell to the ground as she gripped her knees in frustration as Fuugo pursed his lips in contemplation, his face otherwise stoic. Anko, however, waited hopefully for the statement that she hoped would follow that opening statement. A suffocating silence fell upon the room as Anko, Yūgao, and Fuugo waited for the Hokage to finish his conclusion.

"However, in this case, there are alternative methods that can be used that would effect Naruto-kun more than institutionalization," the Hokage added afterwards. At this Fuugo's eyebrow shot up in curiosity as Yuugao smiled broadly and Anko cracked a small grin.

_'So far, so good,' _Anko thought, relieved that Naruto would not have to endure being locked up in an asylum for the remainder of his life.

"As proven by both Mitarashi-san and Umino-san, Uzumaki-kun learns much better in a one-to-one learning environment than in a group environment provided by the academy. And because he cannot afford a tutor, one will be provided for him and be paid the rate of a D-rank mission every day he provides his services.

"In addition, it has been brought to my attention that Uzumaki-kun is lacking in the area of social interaction and does not express his emotins well, and when he does they are in inappropriate forms. This information has been verified by both Umino-san and Honda-san and reinforced by Yamada-san, who has stated that Uzumaki-kun is the only person living in his apartment.

"And so to help develop appropriate social behaviors and the proper expression of his emotions, he is going to be relocated from the Yamada Apartment Complex and into a foster home. The foster parents will be strictly volunteers, will be cleared by Uzuki-san and myself, and will be paid the rate of an A-ranked mission every month as well as receive the stipends that would usually be sent to Uzumaki-kun's home.

"In exactly one year from this day of March 18, Narita-san and Mitarashi-san will monitor Uzumaki-kun's progress. If they do not find that this change of lifestyle has benefited him, the four of us will meet again to discuss possible alternatives that can be implemented," the Hokage stated from memory, never faltering once in his narrative.

As much as Anko tried to hide the enjoyment she felt at her suggestions being followed, she couldn't help but hide a smile as she saw Yūgao smile gratefully at her. In fact, the appearance of Yūgao surprised her more than anything that day. In all of the documents she had read, Yūgao's name had not appeared once.

'_So she's Naruto's social worker,' _Anko thought with a smirk. _'At least he didn't get it __**that**__ bad.' _

"Hokage-sama, I have a favor to ask, if it is alright," stated Fuugo, his face remaining as stoic as when the Hokage was announcing his conclusion. Sarutobi nodded his head sagely; ready to entertain whatever notion the man had. "I wish to have your permission to make a monthly visit to wherever he is staying." At this, Yūgao glared at him venomously, not even attempting to hide her distaste for the man.

"While you may not like me Uzuki-san," Fuugo spoke, his green eyes gazing calmly into her angry ones, "I'm going to be a huge factor in Uzumaki-kun's life from this day forward. I will be the one reporting to the Council of Elders about his progress, not you. And if I am to assess the boy's progress in a year, how do you expect me to get a clear assessment of his abilities without actually meeting him and monitoring his progress?" To this Yūgao had no answer to Fuugo except to grimace at him before turning away from him angrily.

"Permission granted," the Hokage stated authoritatively, frowning at Yūgao's unsightly behavior. "Unless there are any more concerns, you are dismissed." Immediately, Yūgao and Fuugo bowed crisply to the Hokage before leaving through the door, leaving Anko alone with Sarutobi.

"You really didn't expect me to just work on such an interesting evaluation without doing some researching, did you?" incredulously asked Anko in a tone that bordered insubordination. The Hokage, however, shook his head slowly.

"No," he answered simply, "But I thought you'd be more motivated if you found out on your own terms."

"Well it worked," Anko answered with a grin. However, the mirth in her face was soon replaced by a look of apprehension. "Hokage-sama. I wish to request something of you," she stated carefully, trying to hold back the nervousness in her voice.

"What is it, Anko?" the Hokage asked as he began filling out the terms of the evaluation. Anko then drew a deep breath as she began to make her request.

"I wish to volunteer my services as tutor and foster parent of Naruto-kun," Anko stated, rushing her sentence. At this the Hokage looked at her oddly for a second before nodded his head sagely.

"I see," he answered thoughtfuly, the evaluation terms abandoned for the moment as he turned to look at Anko, who had risen when she made her request. "You do realize that by doing this, you are taking on two long-standing missions along with your daily training routines and regularly assigned missions?" he asked concernedly

"I do," Anko answered after several seconds of thought. "If you allow me to do this, I wholeheartedly swear to you that Naruto will be changed for the better by the end of the year. I will do anything I can to insure that Naruto will be able to unlock his potential as a ninja and that he doesn't live a life of isolation and complete independence."

At this Sarutobi smiled like a father would to his own daughter, making Anko swell with pride. He knew that such an undertaking would overwhelm most, if not all, ninja and that most likely Anko would not be able to accomplish both missions in addition to her regular duties, especially due to her lack of spouse or family to assist her in looking after Naruto. However, he felt that there was no reason not to let her try, especially with Fuugo checking in on their status every month. If worse came to worse, he could always relocate Naruto to a different home and have Anko still carry out her role as a tutor.

"You've grown up so much from that lonely little girl I met so long ago," the Hokage stated warmly, before drawing in a large breath. "Mitarashi Anko, as of today, you are the legal guardian and private tutor of one Uzumaki Naruto. I will send a messenger to inform Yūgao, and she will have Naruto packed up and ready to move into your apartment by tomorrow morning. You will have to come back tomorrow with Naruto and sign the papers associated with such a responsibility."

The Hokage's speech almost caused Anko to shed tears of happiness, something she had only done twice after the death of her parents. But, instead of doing so, she bowed as deeply as she could as she breathed deeply to hold in the tears.

"I thank you for this great honor with my entirety, Hokage-sama," Anko thanked regally. "I swear to you that I will not fail you or Uzumaki-kun."

"Just make sure that you don't get overwhelmed, Anko," the Hokge advised. "Now go home, prepare your home, and prepare yourself. You are dismissed." And with that statement, Sarutobi returned to his paperwork, forming his letters meticulously with the ink brush.

Anko then snapped a salute before using the shunshin technique, disappearing in a puff of smoke.

Like every day after classes were dismissed, the courtyard of the school was full of obnoxiously loud kids running amuck and gossipy parents informing their friends of the latest news from their side of the village. However, in one corner of the yard, there was no sound at all as the wind gently rocked a single swing back and forth, the thick oak branch it hung from remaining undisturbed. It was here that Anko had spent most of her time after school ended, where she first met and befriended Umino Iruka, and where she spent hours constructing and setting up the battered swing that now hung from the old tree. But in addition to this, the oak tree also served as the meeting place for the old genin team of Uchiha Mikoto.

And now it served the latter purpose, as Umino Iruka sat on one of the branches of the oak tree, anxiously waiting for his teammate to return with the results of Naruto's evaluation.

"Sorry Iruka, have you been waiting for long?" Yūgao asked as she appeared in a whirlwind beneath him. "I had to go see what Naruto-kun was up to. After all, you don't just give a kid like him a day off without expecting something to happen."

"I've only been waiting a few minutes," Iruka blatantly lied. In actuality, he had been waiting about twenty minutes for Yūgao to bring him the final verdict. "So what's going to happen; will he be allowed to stay where he is or is he going to be institutionalized?" he asked worriedly as he jumped down from the bough of the tree and faced Yūgao.

"Neither," responded Yūgao as she leaned against the tree and crossed her arms over her chest. "He's going to be moved into a foster home and a private tutor will be hired for him."

"That's great!" Iruka exclaimed euphorically as he grabbed Yūgao and tightly hugged her. "It's better than I ever could've imagined! And here I was thinking that nothing good could come out of this."

"Hold on Iruka," Yūgao stated flatly as she removed herself from her old teammate. "There's more, and this time it's not good news. Every month Naruto will be visited by Narita Fuugo and then, in a year's time, him and Anko will evaluate his progress. If he's not improving, 'alternative measures' need to be discussed." At the mention of Narita Fuugo the vivacity that Iruka had recently possessed all but drained away, replaced

"You mean Narita Fuugo as in the council member?" Iruka asked. "The Narita Fuugo who proposed to execute Naruto a day after the incident occurred and then forcibly removed him from the orphanage system of Konoha?" Yūgao nodded gravely in response.

"If he had his way, Naruto would be locked up in a prison cell for the rest of his life," Yūgao snidely stated. "But at least Anko has the good sense to apply what's best for Naruto instead of what would sate the paranoia of some of the other citizens."

"So wait, what does Anko have to do with this?" Iruka asked, confused by Yūgao's statement. "Wouldn't it be the examiner in charge of the evaluation who would…" at this Iruka trailed off as a realization dawned on him.

'_After all, she is an examiner. And I thought that it was strange that she would come asking about one of my students for a mission. Why didn't I figure this out earlier? It seems so simple now,' _Iruka figured out. Yūgao smirked at him as she figured out what caused Iruka's confusion.

"Just figured it out?" Yūgao asked Iruka, who nodded in the affirmative. "Trust me; you're not the only one who was surprised. I couldn't believe it myself when she first came in."

"When who first came in?" interjected the third member of the previous genin team one as she sauntered up to Yūgao and Iruka, a wide grin plastered on her face.

"It's nothing Anko," Yūgao dismissed. Anko merely answered with an accepting shrug and then turned to Iruka.

"Did Yū-chan tell you the good news?" Anko asked him, her grin growing bigger as she sat down on the swing in between Yūgao and Iruka.

"I couldn't believe that you did it Anko," Iruka stated in awe. "I never thought that anyone could do keep Naruto out of asylum, and especially while getting him a better deal in the process."

"See, you've gotta trust people some more Iru-baka," Anko answered with a grin. "And I've still got that prick coming every month to 'check up on Naruto's progress.' I just hope that he's not too much of a pain in the ass."

"I pity whoever has to deal with that man on a monthly basis," Yūgao stated as she shook her head. "I've had to deal with him for ANBU missions and he's a hard-headed brute. It's a wonder that he was chosen to be the representative for this case."

"And on to other, happier news," Anko stated authoritatively, forcibly changing the subject much to Iruka's happiness. "Where is the little squirt anyway?"

"Naruto?" Iruka asked, to which Anko rolled her eyes. "I was instructed by the principal of the school to give him a day off to pack up his stuff in case Hokage-sama chose to relocate him."

"So what kind of trouble does that mean for the village?" Anko asked, waiting eagerly for whatever news her companions had to share.

"None so far," Yūgao answered, "He just waited in his room all day doing nothing." However, a rather loud explosion sounded in the near vicinity, accompanied by a rank smell and various people shouting at the person who set the bomb off. "I spoke to soon, didn't I?"

"Yup," Anko answered as she saw a flash of blond and orange appear for a second thru the thick smog that accompanied the explosion. "But what did you expect from the number one prankster of Konoha?" At this both Yūgao and Iruka couldn't help but crack a grin.

"Sorry to cut this meeting short, guys, but I've got to go. I have an entire house to clean by tomorrow. Oh, and we'll be seeing a lot more of each other in the near future," Anko stated.

"What do you mean?" Iruka asked suspiciously. "I hope this doesn't mean more surprise meetings before my classes come." Anko shook her head at Iruka's interpretation.

"I forgot to tell you guys one tiny thing," Anko added, causing both Iruka and Yūgao to give her inquisitive looks. "I've been chosen as the foster parent and private tutor for Naruto-kun, isn't that great? Now we get to have all of those reunions we've been blowing off for the past couple of years!" Anko happily informed, causing both Iruka and Yūgao to stare at her blankly in shock.

"See you guys!" And with that departing statement along with a grin and a wave goodbye, Anko disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

"If we're hardly able to survive Naruto now, how are we going to keep him under control after Anko finishes training him?" Yūgao asked her stunned friend.

"We'll find a way," Iruka answered after several seconds. "After all, we've dealt with a lot worse back when we were genin team one and chūnin squadron four."

"I hope you're right Iruka," Yūgao stated as the smog from the modified stink bombs began creeping towards the school yard. "But now, I think we've got a mess to clean up, don't you think?"

"Oh yeah," Iruka answered with a grin as he observed the spreading smog. "Person who clears the most smog out treats the other to dinner?" he casually suggested.

"You're on Umino," answered Yūgao excitedly, a wicked grin on her face.

'_It looks like I have no choice,' _thought Iruka as he preformed shunshin simultaneously with Yūgao, _'But to trust in you, Anko.' _


End file.
